NBA Playoff Preview

The 24-25 NBA regular season is over, and the playoff bracket is set. The regular season had many surprises and great competition; some teams thrived and others tanked. Here is a recap of the regular season—with the final playoff standings, a summary of the top teams, and the playoff bracket.

The East

Here were the final standings in the East:

Playoff Teams:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers 64-18

2. Boston Celtics 61-21

The Cavaliers, in particular, started off hot by being a surprising 15-0. After their first loss against the Celtics, it was clear that one of the two teams would end up being the first seed. Although the Cavaliers started declining near the end of the season—going 8-8 in their last 16 games—they clinched the one seed thanks to their initial success.

3. New York Knicks 51-31

Following the Celtics as the third seed are the Knicks—a slight downgrade from the second seed they held last year. The Knicks had high expectations heading into the season after trading for Minnesota Timberwolves offensive star center Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks were not a disappointment this season, clinching the third seed and being top-10 offense and defense. However, many worry about them being in the playoffs because of their 15-23 record against teams .500 or above.

4. Indiana Pacers 50-32

5. Milwaukee Bucks 48-34

The Indiana Pacers were able to grab the fourth seed and had a three-win improvement from last season, although they may have gotten lucky while the Milwaukee Bucks were dealing with constant injuries from forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard.

6. Detroit Pistons 44-38

Next is the Pistons, who have had an amazing comeback year and have gone from the 15th seed last year all the way to a secured playoff position this year as the sixth seed. The Pistons are led by star point guard Cade Cunningham, who averaged 26 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, all while shooting 47 percent from the field.

Play-in Teams:

7. Orlando Magic 41-41

The Orlando Magic stood out from the rest of the play-in by not falling lower in the standings, even with forward Paolo Banchero out for 36 games and forward Franz Wagner out for 22 games—one was able to step up while the other was out.

8. Atlanta Hawks 40-42

9. Chicago Bulls 39-43

10. Miami Heat 37-45

The Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat were all in the play-in the last two years, and only the Hawks actually had a better season than last year. All three teams just don’t have enough talent to make a difference in the East. The Atlanta Hawks traded away guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans last offseason, leaving Trae Young trying to carry the Hawks to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been making small changes to their roster and haven’t done anything major to improve. Lastly, it appears that the Miami Heat’s time is over; they traded away forward Jimmy Butler, and without him, they don’t have the same firepower they had before.

Overall, the Eastern Conference’s playoff competition wasn’t very competitive, especially considering the incredible disappointment of the Philadelphia 76ers, who were originally a top contender to reach and win the finals. They ended up way out of playoff competition with center Joel Embiid and forward Paul George both out for around half the season. In the play-in, the Magic easily beat the Miami Heat to end up in a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Bulls to keep their playoff hopes alive but then lost in overtime to the Miami Heat, who face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The West

Here were the final standings in the West:

Playoff Teams:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder 68-14

The Oklahoma City Thunder had an 11-game improvement from last season and easily grabbed the first seed by a 16-game margin—the largest in NBA history—instead of getting it by just a tiebreaker last year. They were led by MVP candidate and point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

2. Houston Rockets 52-30

The Rockets managed to grab the second seed this year after barely missing the play-in last year during a very competitive Western Conference. The Rockets proved that their young talent, as well as head coach Ime Udoka, have the potential to go far this year. Some notable wins of the Rockets include going 2-0 against the Cavaliers and 2-3 against the Thunder, showing they can compete.

3. Los Angeles Lakers 50-32

4. Denver Nuggets 50-32

5. Los Angeles Clippers 50-32

Seeds three through five were all a tiebreaker at 50 wins each. The Los Angeles Lakers won their division, so they had the first tiebreaker over the Nuggets and Clippers. The Lakers’s record might not show the true threat they pose, since they only received point guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks halfway through the season. Due to the Nuggets’s better conference record, they were able to edge out the tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Clippers, even though they split their season series 2-2. 

6. Minnesota Timberwolves 49-33

The Minnesota Timberwolves had an on-and-off season—with a couple of solid win streaks—but were overall inconsistent. The Timberwolves were without forward Julius Randle for about half the season but are now completely healthy and ready for the playoffs.

Play-in Teams:

7. Golden State Warriors 48-34

The Warriors had a very up-and-down season, but luckily managed to get into playoff competition after trading forward Andrew Wiggins for forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. The Warriors went 16-4 with Jimmy Butler and had a chance to secure a playoff spot by winning their last game but lost to the Clippers 124-119 in a thrilling overtime game.

8. Memphis Grizzlies 48-34

The Memphis Grizzlies managed to grab the eighth seed even though point guard Ja Morant missed 32 games. The Grizzlies struggled on defense and were tied seventh worst in opponents’ points per game at 116.9. 

9. Sacramento Kings 40-42

The Sacramento Kings had another mediocre season after trading for forward DeMar DeRozan in the offseason. The Kings have an eight-game differential from the Grizzlies, signifying that they just aren’t as competitive and as big of a threat as any other team in the Western Conference.

10. Dallas Mavericks 39-43

The tenth seed is the Mavericks, who arguably had one of the worst months in NBA history. First, the Mavericks made a very controversial trade by giving away point guard Luka Doncic for forward Anthony Davis, who then got injured in his first game with them. Then, the Mavericks also mistakenly traded guard Quentin Grimes and later lost Kyrie Irving for the whole season due to injury. The Mavericks only made the play-in from the first half of the season and got lucky that the Phoenix Suns didn’t take their place.

In the play-in, the Warriors beat the Grizzlies to earn the seventh seed. After the Dallas Mavericks beat the Sacramento Kings, the Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks to acquire the eighth seed, taking the Mavericks out of playoff contention. The Western Conference was much more competitive and entertaining than the East, with only a four-game difference from the second-seed Houston Rockets all the way to the seventh-seed Golden State Warriors in the play-in. The very close records in the West make for a very interesting playoff setup, where—besides the Thunder, who stand out from the rest—it seems any team could go far or be knocked out early.

Playoff Bracket

Here are the first round matchups in the East: Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Miami Heat (8), Boston Celtics (2) vs. Orlando Magic (7), New York Knicks (3) vs. Detroit Pistons (6), and Indiana Pacers (4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5). The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are heavy favorites in their series to head to the second round, but the other series should be closely contested thrillers.

Here are the first round matchups in the West: Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8), Houston Rockets (2) vs. Golden State Warriors (7), Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6), and Denver Nuggets (4) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (5). Besides the Thunder vs. the Grizzlies, expect some very exciting playoff action and potential upsets.